Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Washington, DC - A federal court in Washington, DC has removed the National Association of Special Police and Security Officers (NASPSO), and its executive director, Caleb A. Gray-Burriss, as fiduciaries of the pension and health plans of NASPSO, according to a temporary restraining order obtained by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Office Relocates to F. Edward Hebert Building

NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that the Wage and Hour Division's New Orleans district office has returned to the city. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Wage and Hour staff conducted investigations and compliance assistance activities from a temporary office in Metairie, La.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

LIVONIA, Mich. - The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a settlement restoring $46,925 to the Crudo Brothers Company Inc. 401(k) plan and permanently barring plan fiduciary Fernanda Crudo from serving in a fiduciary capacity or as a service provider to any employee benefit plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

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San Francisco, California - An independent trustee will begin distributing the remaining funds from a now-defunct Oakland company’s “orphaned” 401(k) employee benefit plan under a default judgment against the AM-PM Service Company.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a complaint and consent judgment with BMW which calls for payment of $629,869 in overtime back wages to 1,224 workers in Spartanburg, S.C. The suit was based on an investigation by the department's Wage and Hour Division into violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Atlanta, Georgia - The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment ordering Commetrex Corp., Roswell, Georgia, and CEO Michael Coffee to restore $27,452 to the company’s 401(k) plan.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today applauded the success of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in helping tear down barriers to equality for disabled Americans.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Washington, DC - The Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans and its three working groups will meet August 9-11, in Room N-4437 A-C at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), 200 Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Douglas Daly, former owner and president of Integrated Metal Fabrications, Inc. (IMF), has agreed to restore $33,269 in lost assets and interest to the company’s 401(k) and Profit Sharing Plan. The Bucks County, Pennsylvania company ceased operations in August 2005.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) today expressed support for the decision by the United States Trade Representative not to accept a petition filed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 regarding workers' rights in the People's Republic of China. Deputy Secretary Steven J. Law noted significant cooperation between the U.S. and the People's Republic of China on a number of worker protection issues over the last few years, and pledged to continue to work together to build on the progress that has been made.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Washington, DC - Today the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) announced a final regulation requiring plans to file Form 5500 annual reports electronically, beginning with 2008 plan year filings due in 2009. Simultaneously, EBSA, along with the Internal Revenue Service and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, proposed changes to the forms that will be processed under the new electronic system.

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Portland, Oregon - The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a default judgment removing defunct Emerald Solutions, Inc., Portland, Oregon, from its position as plan administrator of the company’s 401(k) plan. The court action clears the way for former employees of Emerald Solutions, Inc. to regain access to their retirement accounts.

Department Has Paid Claimants More Than $1.5 Billion Since Program's Inception

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) this month marks the fifth anniversary of administering the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Program. The department has administered Part B of the program since its inception in 2001, and was charged with implementation of Part E, a provision created in October 2004 as part of an amendment to the energy program.

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Kansas City, Missouri - The U.S. Department of Labor will host a free employer workshop called “Understanding Your Responsibilities under ERISA and USERRA” on July 26 at the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center, 4801 Rockhill Road in Kansas City.

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Creighton, Pennsylvania - A federal judge has ordered now defunct Orris Fuel Inc. and its controller, Victoria Skinner, to restore $34,688 in lost assets and interest to the company’s 401(k) plan.

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Troy, Michigan - The U.S. Department of Labor will hold a free workshop in Troy, Michigan to help employers and administrators of pension and health plans comply with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the federal law that governs private-sector employee benefit plans. The workshop will be held August 9 at the Holiday Inn Troy, 2537 Rochester Court.

NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Labor Department announced today that it has recovered a total of $181,689 in back wages for 164 employees who performed debris removal for three different companies in the Gulf Coast region. These three lower-tiered government subcontractors agreed to pay their workers back wages following investigations by the department's Wage and Hour Division under the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA).

SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against Gardena, Calif.-based Southern California Maid Services and Carpet Cleaning (SCMS) for minimum wage, overtime pay and recordkeeping violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The suit seeks more than $1.8 million in unpaid backwages for approximately 386 employees.

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Minneapolis, Minnesota - The U.S. Department of Labor obtained a default judgment against Paul J. Johnson from serving as a fiduciary to any plan governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and removing him as fiduciary of the Jerome Johnson Excavating Profit Sharing Plan, Maple Plain, Minnesota.

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Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), the Internal Revenue Service and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation today released advance copies of the 2006 Form 5500 and instructions.